


Salt Water Tears or Seas

by Unholy_Author



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: Eventual Fluff, I'm writing this for me no one else cares about these dumbasses, M/M, Minor Angst, misunderstandings as the beginnings of a relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 18:33:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15891672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unholy_Author/pseuds/Unholy_Author
Summary: It was never supposed to be like this. It was never supposed to be this hard. Lucrius was supposed to know who he was.





	Salt Water Tears or Seas

“Stay away from the sea” had been repeated to Lucrius for as long as he could remember. His mothers drilled it into him until even seeing the beach made him vaguely uncomfortable. On school trips to the beach he always stayed on the shore, not even daring to go out on the pier with the others. He was teased for it, of course. What child didn’t know how to swim in a fishing town? But Lucrius was never to go near the sea.

Once, he asked his mothers about it, about why he wasn’t allowed to do what everyone else was. 

“You’re special, songbird,” Oli’iadavend said. “Much more special than the other children. I found you in the sea, and I took you because I loved you so much. The sea wants you back.” Lucrius scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“That’s not true. Our teacher told us where babies come from and it’s _not_ the ocean.” Ollie smiled and shrugged.

“Well, I took you from the sea. I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Tell me why I really can’t go.”

“We can’t, sweetheart.” Teelan said softly. “Just trust us, please. We just want to keep you safe.” He scowled but rolled his eyes and huffed,

“Fine.”

“Thank you, baby,” Nemil smiled. “Help me with dinner?” And after that he never asked again, just heeded their words. Being near the water made him ache anyway, and he didn’t like the feeling.

Then Kuril. 

Those ten months were a nightmare of isolation, fear, and hatred. Lucrius was so constantly afraid that he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t relax. He lost weight, but Kuril only smiled and nuzzled him and congratulated him. Good job, finally being skinny. He’d always been skinny. Now his ribs showed and his hips were trying to break through his skin. His mothers were worried, they kept telling him to leave Kuril.

But he didn’t. Not until the night he broke the rule.

Lucrius _ran_. His breath came harshly and his eyes burned with tears as he sprinted, the sound of glass shattering on the cobblestone behind him spurring him faster.

“Get back here!” Kuril yelled angrily, stumbling into the street after him. Lucrius didn’t even look back. He needed to go somewhere Kuril would never go. He needed to go somewhere Kuril will never look. The pier. 

Lucrius managed to lose Kuril, slow and stupid in his drunkenness. He ran right to the edge of the pier before sitting on the edge and trying to catch his breath. He felt nauseous and he wasn’t sure if it was because he was so scared or because he was so close to the water, but in that moment he didn’t care if it rose up and swallowed him down into hell, as long as it got him away from Kuril. 

It was passed midnight by his estimation. Probably around one in the morning. The water was smooth and consistent with its waves, gently lapping at the poles holding the pier up out of it. The moon and stars were mirrored on the water with distorted reflections that looked like nothing more than smears of light, as though someone had dropped a star and quickly picked it back up without cleaning up the mess it made. Lucrius felt his breathing slow as he watched the water and the feeling threatening sickness started to fade. Lucrius took off his shoes and set them on the pier. He took off his shirt and gently folded it, smoothing out the wrinkles before setting it down as well. The sea looked so pretty and gentle. Lucrius liked gentle. He pushed himself until he was just barely on the edge of the pier. If he so much as let go with his hands he would slide right off into the water. But Lucrius was a coward. He could never let go.

“Lucy!” an angry voice yelled behind him. Lucrius automatically turned to look and see how close he was, and in that split second he felt something grab an ankle, and before he could suck in a breath to scream he was pulled under the water.


End file.
